Grumpy Bunny

[J3lly]

I just got a new female Netherland dwarf doe. She is four months old. She is very grumpy and I am afraid of her. If I put my hand in her cage she grunts and lunges even if I am just changing her water bowl. She had only been with me for 2 days. I know she needs time to feel comfortable. When it is time for her to come out and exercise I open the door and she comes out on her own and goes back in on her own when she is done. She comes up to me and sniffs me and runs around and does binkies. None of my other bunnies are grumpy like her. My other bunnies are all neutered males. I don’t want to be afraid of her. Is there anything I can do so she doesn’t lunge at me. I need advice. I think the breeder has ALOT of buns so I am not sure if she was handled much. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Blue eyes]

At 4 months of age, she is probably hormonal. I'd look into getting her spayed.

Some rabbits can be cage aggressive - whether hormonal or not. Since she is new, she is more likely to be wanting her own space (which would be her cage). It would be a good idea to just avoid reaching into her cage when she is in there (or distract her if you are trying to put food down). Try to save refills or cage cleans to those times she is out exploring.

On a separate note, early handling doesn't really make a difference with rabbits. They each just have their own innate personalities and that doesn't change with early handling. In fact, too much handling of some shyer buns can have the opposite affect.

This gal may just be hormonal. OR, she just has her own unique personality. (Females do tend to be more territorial.)

 

[J3lly]

Thanks for letting me know that early handling does not have an effect. I don’t feel so bad. I had heard that females are more territorial but I have never experienced it before. I have to wait until she is 6 months to have her spayed but that is the plan. I am worried about how I am going to get her in a carrier to get her to the vet and how to do nail trims. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Great tips that I will try.

 

[Blue eyes]

You're welcome! For nail trims, you may want to use a towel and wrap her burrito-style. Then you just have one paw out at a time for clipping. All 4 paws don't have to be done on the same day if she's having a hard time.